KR101978390B1 - Cleaning blade for photosensitive and method for producing same, image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cleaning blade for a photoconductor and a method of manufacturing the same, an image forming apparatus comprising a cleaning member in contact with a photoconductor and a support for supporting the cleaning member, A step of preheating the molding apparatus at a temperature of 100 to 200 DEG C, a step of disposing a support base on a lower mold of the molding apparatus, a step of disposing a molding frame having a molding section formed on the lower mold opposite to the one side of the support base, A step of arranging a cleaning member on the upper mold part of the molding apparatus facing the molding part, and a step of assembling the lower mold and the upper mold to couple the cleaning member and the support base Wherein the cleaning member does not depart from one side end of the support member, The molding of the male part the ends of the cleaning member is in contact with the photosensitive line.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a cleaning blade for a photosensitive member, a method of manufacturing the same, and an image forming apparatus.

The present invention relates to a cleaning blade for a photoreceptor, a manufacturing method thereof, and an image forming apparatus.

An electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a laser beam printer, a copying machine, and a facsimile can be manufactured by attaching fine toner particles (hereinafter referred to as " developer ") to a developing roller and then developing the developer using a suitable voltage bias A developer image is formed by electrostatically applying an electrostatic force to an electrostatic latent image formed on a photoconductor (Organic Photo Conductor, OPC) composed of a material, and the developer image is moved to a charged paper higher than the photoconductor, And a permanent image is obtained by fixing by pressure.

5, the image forming apparatus 10 includes a cylindrical photoconductor 11 rotating at a constant peripheral speed and a constant direction, a charging unit 12 charging the surface of the photoconductor 11 at a constant potential, (Not shown) for forming an electrostatic latent image by scanning the surface of the photoreceptor 11 with a laser beam and a doctor blade (not shown), and is provided with an electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photoreceptor 14a And a cleaning blade 15 for removing the developer remaining on the surface of the photoconductor 11. The developing unit 14 includes a developing unit 14,

A small particle size (about 5 to 6 μm) developer is widely used to obtain a high quality image. The importance of the cleaning blade 15 technique for removing developer, external additive, and other additives remaining on the surface of the photoconductor as the progress of the particle size hardening of the developer progresses. This is because as the particle size of the developer becomes smaller, the cleaning becomes difficult and the image is liable to be connected to the defective image.

The cleaning blade 15 is separated from the photoconductor 11 and has a support 15a fixed to the inner surface of the chemical forming device at one side and a rubber having a predetermined width and having one side connected to the other side of the support 15a, Includes a cleaning member 15b contacting the photoconductor 11 to wipe the photoconductor 11.

Is formed in a rectangular shape having a predetermined thickness of the cleaning member 15b and the other side is deviated from the support 15a. A linear pressure is generated in the cleaning member 15b by the elastic force of the portion L of the cleaning member 15b which is out of the support base 15a and the other side of the cleaning member 15 can elastically contact the photoconductor 11. [

The other side of the cleaning member 15 is in contact with the photoreceptor 11 due to the linear pressure of the cleaning member 15b and the other side of the cleaning member 15 is not in contact with the photoreceptor 11.

In addition, the manufacturing process of the cleaning blade 15 is increased because the support 15a and the cleaning member 15b are manufactured separately in a separate process and combined with each other when the cleaning blade 15 is manufactured. In particular, since the cleaning member 15b has to be aligned with the support base 15a and the photoconductor 11, the precision of the cleaning member 15b has deteriorated.

The cleaning member 15 is formed in a rectangular shape so that the supporting member 15a is tilted so that one corner portion of the quadrangle contacts the photoreceptor 11. In order to fix the supporting member 15a, I had to bend. Thereafter, a subsequent process of bending the support base 15a according to the standard has occurred.

Patent No. 10-0622402. (September 4, 2006) Open Patent No. 10-2007-0025636. (2007.08.08.)

The present invention allows the cleaning blade, which is in contact with the photosensitive member, to generate a total linear pressure toward the photosensitive member.

The present invention provides a cleaning blade for a photoconductor which has improved bonding properties with the assembling process.

A method of manufacturing a cleaning blade for a photoconductor according to an embodiment of the present invention is a method for manufacturing a cleaning blade for removing a developer remaining on a surface of a photoconductor, comprising the steps of preheating the molding apparatus at 100 to 200 캜, A step of disposing a support on a lower mold, a step of disposing a forming mold having a forming portion formed on a portion of the lower mold opposite to the one side of the supporting base, supplying an adhesive to the supporting portion corresponding to the forming portion, Comprising the steps of disposing a cleaning member on a top portion of the molding apparatus facing each other, and engaging the cleaning member and the supporter by combining the lower mold and the upper mold, wherein the cleaning member does not depart from one end of the support And the end portion of the cleaning member comes into line contact with the photoreceptor by the molding of the forming portion.

The thickness of the support may be 0.7 mm to 1 mm, one surface of the cleaning member is coupled to the support, and the cross-sectional area of the cleaning member may gradually decrease as the surface moves away from the one surface.

The height of the cleaning member may be 1/5 of the height of the support.

A cleaning and cleaning member for a photoreceptor according to an embodiment of the present invention is a cleaning and cleaning member for removing a developer remaining on a surface of a photoreceptor. The cleaning and cleaning member includes a support having a thickness of 0.7 mm to 1 mm, Wherein a lower surface of the cleaning member is perpendicular to a surface contacting the support, and a lower surface of the cleaning member does not protrude from a lower surface of the support.

The other surface of the cleaning member is in line contact with the photoreceptor, and the upper surface connecting the other surface and the one surface may be inclined.

Wherein a portion of the upper portion of the support member is in contact with the frame facing the photoconductor, the other portion of the support member is separated from the frame, and the other surface of the cleaning member contacts the photoconductor, And the other surface of the cleaning member can be elastically adhered to the photoconductor by the linear pressure.

An image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a photoconductor, a charging unit for charging the surface of the photoconductor at a constant potential, an exposure unit for forming a latent electrostatic image by scanning a laser beam on the surface of the photoconductor, And a cleaning blade configured to attach the developer to the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photoconductor and to develop the developer, the cleaning blade including a doctor blade, wherein the cleaning blade has residual toner on the surface of the photoconductor, Thereby removing the developer.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to remove the source of defects that may occur when the metal support and the cleaning member assembling process of the rubber are integrated and assembled separately, and the cleaning function can be maximized. And the consumption of the cleaning member made of rubber can be minimized, thereby reducing the cost.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, the cleaning member is formed in a right triangle shape so that the support member does not need to be arranged obliquely. That is, when the cleaning member is formed in a rectangular shape as in the conventional case, the supporting member must be arranged in an inclined manner so that the corners of the rectangular cleaning member are in line contact with the photosensitive member. To arrange the supports at an angle, the upper part of the supports must be bent and worked. However, in the case of this embodiment, the cleaning member is formed in a right-angled triangle so that post-processing for bending the support does not occur. Therefore, the manufacturing of the support is simple, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced because no post-processing occurs.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, according to the present embodiment, since the support member made of metal and the cleaning member made of rubber are integrally manufactured, it is possible to reduce the assembly time, reduce the assembly cost, Can be saved.

1 is a block diagram showing a manufacturing step of a cleaning blade for a photoconductor according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a perspective view of a cleaning blade for a photoconductor according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a schematic view of an image forming apparatus provided with a cleaning blade for a photoconductor shown in Fig.
4 is an enlarged view of a cleaning blade for a photoconductor shown in Fig. 3;
5 is a schematic view of a conventional image forming apparatus.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily carry out the present invention. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Like parts are designated with like reference numerals throughout the specification.

The cleaning blade for a photoreceptor according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention can be applied to an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, an image forming apparatus to which a cleaning blade for a photoreceptor is applied will be described.

An image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 4. Fig.

2 is a perspective view of a cleaning blade for a photoreceptor according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a cleaning blade for a photoreceptor according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the cleaning blade for the photoconductor shown in FIG. 3; FIG.

1 to 4, the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment includes a photoreceptor 110, a charging unit 120 for charging the surface of the photoreceptor with a predetermined potential, a photoreceptor 110 according to an image signal, (Not shown) for forming an electrostatic latent image by scanning a laser beam on the surface of the photoconductor 110 and a doctor blade 141 for applying a developer to the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photoconductor 110 (Hereinafter referred to as a cleaning blade 150) for removing a developing agent remaining on the surface of the photoconductor 110 and a developing unit 140 for developing the photoconductor.

The detailed structure of the photoconductor 110, the charging unit 120, the exposure unit, and the developing unit 140 can be applied to a well-known image forming apparatus, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The cleaning blade 150 includes a support 151 made of a thickness of 0.7 mm to 1 mm and a cleaning member 152 coupled along the lower edge of the one side of the support 151.

The support base 151 has a predetermined length and height. An upper portion of the support 151 may be coupled to the frame 101 adjacent to the photoconductor 110. Only a portion of the upper portion 151 of the support 151 (hereinafter referred to as a 'first portion 151a') is in contact with the frame 101 and a portion thereof other than a portion (hereinafter referred to as a second portion 151b) 101). The cleaning member 152 may be in contact with the outer periphery of the photoconductor 110 in a state where the support table 151 is coupled to the frame 101. [ The gap G1 between the lower portion of the supporting table 151 and the photoconductor 110 is narrower than the width W1 of the cleaning member 152 so that the first portion 151a is connected to the cleaning member 152 may contact the photoreceptor 110, the second portion 151b may be bent in a direction away from the photoreceptor 110. The bent second portion 151b has a property of returning to the circular state. The second portion 151b is provided with a pressure for determining whether or not the edge surface (the end portion (other surface) of the cleaning member) touches the photoreceptor 110 with a predetermined force The driving speed of the photoreceptor, the number of divided outputs, and the like), (the line pressure may vary according to the specification of the image forming apparatus)). But also on the lower portion where the cleaning member 152 is joined by the linear pressure. The end portion of the cleaning member 152 can be elastically adhered to the photoconductor 110 by the linear pressure generated in the second portion 151b.

The thickness of the support 151 is important for this line pressure. When the thickness of the support table 151 is less than 0.7 mm, the support table 151 is easily bent and does not generate a predetermined line pressure. Therefore, the efficiency of the cleaning member 152 wiping the photoconductor 110 is reduced. If the thickness of the support 151 exceeds 1 mm, the support 151 is not smoothly bent. Linear pressure does not occur unless the support table 151 is bent. And the cleaning efficiency of the photoconductor 110 may be lowered by linear pressure. In addition, since the cleaning member 152 contacts the photoreceptor 110 at a pressure higher than the set pressure, a large resistance is generated in the cleaning member 152 and the photoreceptor 110, and the photoreceptor 110 does not operate smoothly due to the resistance . The image forming efficiency may be lowered due to the undesired rotation of the photoreceptor 110. [

Such a support 151 may be made of stainless steel or electro galvanized steel (EGI). Stainless steel is not easily rusted and does not generate heavy metals or harmful substances even when heated. Such stainless steel has no harmful influence on human body, and is excellent in durability and heat resistance. Electrolytic zinc-coated steel sheet has a tendency to ionize more than iron, and it protects the surface of iron by compound of zinc carbonate. Even if zinc surface is destroyed, zinc tends to ionize, so zinc is melted and iron is not melted. It has a long life span. The zinc alloy is excellent in adhesion, and the weak iron-zinc alloy layer is very thin. Therefore, the coating layer is hardly peeled off even when subjected to drawing processing.

However, the support base 151 is not limited to stainless steel or galvanized steel.

Although not shown in the drawing, a through hole through which the coupling means passes is formed in the upper portion of the support base 151 so as to be coupled with the frame 101. A plurality of through holes are formed at intervals along the longitudinal direction of the support table 151.

The cleaning member 152 is disposed along the longitudinal direction of the support table 151. The cleaning member 152 is coupled to the support 151 by an adhesive (not shown).

The cleaning member 152 is coupled to the lower portion of the second portion 151b. The lower surface 152b of the cleaning member 152 coincides with the lower surface 151c of the support table 151 and the lower surface 152b of the cleaning member 152 is perpendicular to the surface 152a of the cleaning table 152 that contacts the support table 151. (Not shown) may be formed on one surface 152a of the cleaning member 152 and the support table 151 to extend the contact area.

The lower surface 152b of the cleaning member 152 does not deviate from the lower surface 151c of the support table 151. [ The lower surface 152b of the cleaning member 152 and the lower surface 151c of the support table 151 are located on the same line. The other surface 153c, which is an end of the cleaning member 152, contacts the outer periphery of the photoconductor 110. The other surface 153c of the cleaning member 152 is elastically adhered to the outer circumference of the photoconductor 110 by the linear pressure of the support table 151 to remove the developer remaining on the surface of the photoconductor 110. [

One surface 152a of the cleaning member 152 has a predetermined height. The height h1 of the entire cleaning member 152 is determined by the height of the one surface 152a and the height h1 of the cleaning member 152 is 1/5 the height h2 of the support 151. The height difference between the cleaning member 152 and the support base 151 may vary according to the standard of the image forming apparatus.

The lower surface 152b of the cleaning member 152 is perpendicular to the one surface 152a and the upper surface 153d connecting the upper surface of the one surface 152a and the other surface 153c is inclined. Therefore, as the cleaning member 152 moves away from one surface, the cross-sectional area gradually decreases. Accordingly, when the cleaning member 152 is viewed from the front, it is formed in a right triangle shape and the other surface 153c is formed in a line shape. The line-shaped other surface 153c comes into line contact with the outer circumference of the photoconductor 110. [

On the other hand, the cleaning member 152 is formed in a right triangle shape so that the support table 151 does not need to be inclined. That is, when the cleaning member 152 is formed in a rectangular shape as in the conventional case, the supporting member must be disposed in an inclined manner so that the corners of the rectangular cleaning member are in line contact with the photosensitive member. To arrange the supports at an angle, the upper part of the supports must be bent and worked. However, in the case of this embodiment, the cleaning member 152 is formed in a right-angled triangle, so that post-processing for bending the support does not occur. Accordingly, the support base 151 is easily manufactured, and post-processing is not performed, so that manufacturing costs can be reduced.

The cleaning member 152 has a hardness of 65 to 80 as measured using a rubber hardness meter. When the hardness is less than 65, developer removal performance is deteriorated, and when the hardness exceeds 80, the photoconductor is damaged and the developing efficiency may be lowered.

According to the present embodiment, the line pressure totally occurs in the second portion 151b, and in particular, the portion where the cleaning member 152 is engaged (the lower surface of the cleaning member) is also in contact with the photosensitive member 110 The cleaning member 152 is closely adhered to the outer periphery of the photoconductor 110 to improve the developer removing efficiency and the image forming quality.

According to the present embodiment, since the shape of the cleaning member 152 seen from the front is formed into a right triangle and the other surface (end) contacts with the cleaning member 152 in a line, 151 do not occur after bending.

Next, a method of manufacturing such a cleaning blade will be described.

The method for manufacturing a cleaning blade according to the present embodiment includes a preheating step S10 of a molding apparatus, a supporting step arranging step S20, a forming mold placing step S30, an adhesive supplying step S40, a cleaning member placing step S50, (S60), and the support 151 and the cleaning member 152 are integrally manufactured.

The molding apparatus includes a lower die, a forming die, a top die, a heating section, and a driving section. In the preheating step (S10), the lower die, the forming die, and the upper die are preheated to 100 to 200 ° C. When the preheating temperature is lower than 100 占 폚, the molding of the cleaning member is not smooth. So that the molding efficiency can be lowered. If the preheating temperature exceeds 200 DEG C, the molding apparatus can be heated and the energy consumption for increasing the temperature can be increased.

The support plate 151 in the form of a flat plate is placed on the arrangement part of the preheated lower mold with the lower mold, the molding mold, and the upper mold separated to have a thickness of 0.7 mm to 1 mm (S20). At this time, the movement of the support rod 151 is prevented and the support rod 151 can be fixed to the lower mold so as to be positioned in the correct position.

The forming mold on which the forming section is formed is placed on the lower mold (S30). The forming part is made to coincide with the lower part of the supporting table 151, and not to be separated from the supporting table 151. The molding part molds the cleaning member into a predetermined shape.

The adhesive is applied to the lower part of the support base 151 through the molding part at a predetermined thickness (S40). The adhesive may be a polyurethane type, a polyacrylic type, a polyester type, a polyepoxy type, a polyvinyl acetate type, or the like.

The cleaning member 152 is placed on the forming part and placed on the adhesive (S50).

The upper and lower molds are combined by driving the driving unit (S60). Maintains predetermined pressure, temperature, and time in the merged state. At this time, the support 151 and the cleaning member 152 are coupled to each other. The upper mold, the mold and the mold are separated from each other, and the cleaning cleaning member 152 having the support table 151 and the cleaning member 152 coupled to each other is taken out from the molding apparatus.

The cleaning member 152 of the cleaning blade 150 does not deviate from the end of the support 151 and the end of the cleaning member 152 is linearly formed by the molding of the molding part to be in line contact with the photoconductor 110 .

Therefore, by combining the metal support and the rubber cleaning member, the post-assembly process can be simplified and the assembly cost can be reduced. It is possible to remove the source of defects that may occur when the metal support and the cleaning member assembling process of the rubber are integrated and assembled separately, and the cleaning function can be maximized. And the consumption of the cleaning member made of rubber can be minimized, thereby reducing the cost.

As a result, according to the present embodiment, since the metal supporting member and the cleaning member made of rubber are integrally manufactured, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost, reduce the assembling cost, reduce the assembling defect, and minimize the rubber use.

The cross section of the cleaning member is formed as a right triangle and can be used without any post processing on the support, and it is easy to maintain the line pressure in the design and development stages.

Since the cleaning member is formed in a right triangle, the cleaning function of the cleaning member is improved. Since the support member supports the cleaning member as a whole and the cleaning member does not come off the support member, the support member maintains the linear pressure up to the lower surface of the cleaning member.

In addition, the support of the metal maintains the line pressure which plays the most important role in the cleaning function, so the driving speed of the photoconductor and the number of prints per minute can be easily controlled.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, Of the right.

100: image forming apparatus 101: frame
110: photoreceptor 120: charging unit
140: developing unit 150: cleaning blade
151: support member 151a: first part
151b: second portion 151c:
152: cleaning member 152a:
152b: lower surface 153c: other surface (end surface)
153d: upper surface

Claims (7)

A cleaning member contacting the photoreceptor and a support for supporting the cleaning member, and removing the developer remaining on the surface of the photoreceptor,
Preheating the molding apparatus at 100 DEG C to 200 DEG C,
Disposing a flat plate-like support made of stainless steel or electro galvanized steel (EGI), having a thickness of 0.7 mm to 1 mm, on the bottom of the molding apparatus;
Disposing a forming mold having a forming portion at a portion facing a lower side of one side of the supporting base,
Applying an adhesive to the support portion coinciding with the forming portion,
Disposing a cleaning member on the adhesive; and
Combining the lower mold and the upper mold to couple the cleaning member and the supporter
/ RTI >
Wherein the cleaning member is formed in a linear shape in which the end portion of the cleaning member contacts with the photoreceptor by molding of the molding portion by the pressure generated by the merging of the upper mold and the lower mold without departing from one side end of the support, 65 to 80
A method for manufacturing a cleaning blade for a photoreceptor. The method of claim 1,
Wherein one surface of the cleaning member is engaged with the support, and the cross-sectional area of the cleaning member gradually decreases as the cleaning member moves away from the one surface. The method of claim 1,
Wherein the height of the cleaning member is 1/5 of the height of the support. delete delete delete delete

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